How to Be a Hermit for 24 Hours

By Christine Ajudua

02.10.16

From the March/April 2016 issue

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Photo courtesy of Eremito

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Eremito, a 14th-century residence turned sustainable solo retreat in central Italy, offers extreme travel for the soul. Amidst some 7,000 acres on an Umbrian hillside, the lodging has 14 stone-walled rooms that are defined by what they lack: TV, Internet, phone service, and double occupancy. Dreamed up by fashion designer and hotelier Marcello Murzilli, the hotel is part monastic retreat (daily meditation sessions and Gregorian chants) and part aesthete’s delight (chairs cut from stone, elegant cave pools). Keep in mind that Eremito (meaning “hermit”) takes its name literally. Inspired by ancient monasteries nearby, the hotel asks that you eat its candlelit organic vegetarian dinners in silence.